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EMPIRE OF LIES: The Ron Paul Documentary

This Kickstarter campaign marks the first public announcement of an important new project, EMPIRE OF LIES: The Ron Paul Documentary.

Although Ron Paul has been approached many times by many others to be the subject of a documentary, he has not agreed to participate.

Until now.

We are very pleased to have Ron Paul’s help and cooperation in this production and are grateful for his personal support.

Now we are asking for your help as well. We are counting on the Kickstarter community, lovers of liberty, Ron Paul supporters and others so that we can keep this important project independent.

We are not willing to make a weak or watered-down documentary.

Even in conventional terms Ron Paul is a remarkably successful politician.

He won election to the House 12 times over a span of five decades. Paul’s wins include the unmatched record of being elected three times to the House as a non-incumbent.

He was the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party in 1988, and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2012.

Stunned by the university stadiums and civic arenas filled with young supporters, other candidates like Hillary Clinton marveled at the size and the passion of the Ron Paul crowds.

Others envied Ron Paul’s astonishing ability to raise money. But the new digital-age, world-record fundraising was not the work of the campaign organization. Millions poured into the Ron Paul campaign spontaneously from the grassroots.

The conventional politicians just didn’t understand that the enthusiasm that set millions marching in the Ron Paul Revolution would not have happened if Ron Paul were just another conventional politician.

He was something much more.

Ron Paul is a family man, a father of five, with 18 grandchildren. A small town doctor who served as an Air Force flight surgeon, he is a retired ob/gyn who delivered more than 4,000 babies in his career.

He is a bestselling author and has written numerous books extolling free markets and sound money. His prescient description of the results of government economic meddling and the folly of the Federal Reserve attest that he is learned in economics.

No less has his farsightedness been on display with regard to the consequences of America’s foreign interventionism such as the elective Iraq war.

In public office, Ron Paul has distinguished himself for the conviction of his principles. He has never sold out. Or stated differently, he has never bought in:

He never voted for a tax increase

He never voted for an unbalanced budget

He never voted for a congressional pay raise

He never took a taxpayer-paid junket

He never voted to increase the power of the executive branch

He voted against the Patriot Act

He voted against the Iraq war

He refused to participate in the lucrative congressional pension program

He returned a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year

But there is something else that makes Ron Paul a compelling subject for a major theatrical quality, feature-length documentary.

Ron Paul will be remembered as the most effective champion of freedom in our time!

Ron Paul is now retired from public office. He will turn 80 this year.

It is time to pay tribute to this remarkable man and his message, his memorable character and his enduring principles.

EMPIRE OF LIES is not a biography. It will not spend time describing Ron Paul’s time at Duke medical school or about his years as an Air Force flight surgeon.

But it will tell the story of a man who fearlessly fought the destructive policies of his time:

The needless and bankrupting wars of empire…

The trampling of our Fourth Amendment rights by the snooping of the national surveillance state…

The destruction of our monetary system by the Federal Reserve …

The corruption of our economy by crony capitalism…

And there is a special place in our story to capture Ron’s encounters with the state’s lapdog press.

The Ron Paul Documentary seeks to discover…

Why he ran for office when he had no expectation of winning and no hope for process tinkering as a solution to our problems;

How he came to be freedom’s stalwart and why the temptations of power and ambition that other office holders succumb to had no hold on Ron Paul;

Why he endured when his own party was always on the lookout for a way to subvert his career;
And how he could repeatedly win office without participating in the everyday vote-buying schemes and the rampant cronyism of modern American politics.
The producers are also eager to share rich examples from Ron Paul’s observations, those keen utterances that are destined to be preserved in future books of great quotations.
Like this one that gives the documentary its title:

“Truth is treason in the Empire of Lies.”

EMPIRE OF LIES: The Ron Paul Documentary is planned for release for maximum impact during the primary elections of the 2016 presidential race as the public’s interest in politics increases.

Backer Rewards

As our way of saying thanks to supporting such an important project, we've got some great rewards for our backers, including t-shirts, mugs, posters and books!

The Producers

The Ron Paul Documentary will be written, produced and directed by one of America’s leading libertarians, Charles Goyette.

Goyette is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dollar Meltdown and his latest book Red and Blue and Broke All Over - Restoring America’s Free Economy. An award-winning radio personality, most recently he was heard in 2014 hosting the nationally syndicated Laura Ingraham Show. He has often been called upon to share his views with national televisions audiences on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, CNBC and Fox Business Channel.

In 2013 – 2014 Goyette arranged the national syndication of twice-daily radio commentaries by Ron Paul, which he also produced and co-hosted. Ron Paul’s America was broadcast on 125 radio stations across the nation.

Goyette also joined with Ron Paul for the sponsored program Ron Paul and Charles Goyette – The Weekly Podcast, long-form conversations about news and political philosophy. The Weekly Podcast is available on iTunes.

Goyette is pleased to announce that Ken Liljegren has agreed to serve as Executive Producer of The Ron Paul Documentary. Liljegren is President and Founder of Spectrum Video & Film Ltd., in Phoenix. Since 1984 Spectrum has been distinguished for its production quality and creativity. It is a leader in adapting the latest production technology. Spectrum handles millions in production budgets for a roster of leading broadcasters and companies like CNN, E! Entertainment Network, The Golf Channel, National Geographic, Turner Broadcasting, the U.S. Air Force, S. C. Johnson & Son, Pfizer, Inc., Barrett-Jackson, Cancer Treatment Centers of America and more.

The Ron Paul Documentary Project is truly an affinity production. Liljegren is a long-standing Ron Paul supporter and lent his production talents to the grassroots Ron Paul Revolution in the 2008 and 2012 Presidential campaign.

Together Goyette and Liljegren have formed Ron Paul Documentary, LLC, to conduct the business of the project.

The producers share with Ron Paul a mission, to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” Accordingly the Ron Paul Documentary, LLC has pledged to donate a portion of the any profits after the documentary’s release in 2016 to the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, one of Ron Paul’s most effective educational and policy initiatives.

President Reagan’s Budget Director David Stockman says this is a “wonderful project!” He is a great supporter of Ron Paul and to show it he is offering autographed copies of his international bestseller The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America as a thank you for your backing!

Other leading champions of liberty are helping too, including Lew Rockwell who you know from his immensely popular website LewRockwell.com. Lew is also the Founder and Chairman of the prestigious Mises Institute. Lew, who was formerly Congressman Ron Paul’s chief of staff in Washington, has contributed signed copies of his latest book, Against the State.

We are proud that Tom Woods, bestselling author, historian, and host of the popular daily podcast The Tom Woods Show is showing his support for our Kickstarter campaign with autographed copies of his latest book, Real Dissent.

Austrian-school economist Robert Wenzel, editor of the indispensable EconomicPolicyJournal.com and TargetLiberty.com is on board, too, and we are very grateful for his support. He is showing his thanks to backers with signed copies of The Fed Flunks: My Speech at the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

For details about those and other ways we would like to say thanks for joining us in this project, check out our Rewards.

But the real reward is in acting now – while we can - to secure our freedom and prosperity. The Ron Paul Revolution has awakened a lot of people. More are ready to be awakened every day! We cannot let the state’s lapdog press control the narrative of our time.

We need a surge of liberty supporters now!

As Ron says, “We’ve got to get the truth out there!”

Please join us!

Thank you.

Risks and challenges

A documentary of this kind can be an expensive undertaking. The archival film footage we need to acquire to tell the story of the EMPIRE OF LIES can be costly. It will help us pull the curtain back on political hacks and to show people who don’t know the part the nation’s lapdog press played in burying the news of the Ron Paul Revolution.

Some of their so-called reporting was so brazen in its hostility that it simply leaves one breathless.

There are also key people across the country we need to interview to make the Ron Paul story complete. That means travel expenses for our crew.

And of course our promotional efforts are absolutely vital to getting the Ron Paul story in front of as many people as possible.

We will create a powerful documentary on a lean budget. For example, being the fiscal conservatives we are, we are constantly checking their schedules and searching for ways that we can conduct several of our targeted interviews in one place at one time.

But we don’t want to discover a revealing piece of archival film footage that is just out of reach… Or leave somebody important out of the filming because the budget won’t just accommodate one more day of shooting or another flight for our crew.

The more we raise, this more powerful the story!

And the more people we can reach!

Most importantly, your backing keeps this project independent, and that helps us tell the real story – the truth – in the EMPIRE OF LIES.

FAQ

You may donate any amount you want, including $1, by selecting “Back This Project” to the right of the Kickstarter video at the top of the page and then selecting “No Reward”. But don’t worry, we’ll still be very thankful for any amount you chose to pledge and we’ll give you a big Internet high five! Another way you can help in a BIG way is to spread the word about our Kickstarter project. The more people who know about it, the greater chance we have of being funded!

That’s great! Send us a message about what you do and how you want to help. Once we are funded and begin to focus on creative development, we can discuss the possibility of working together. We are looking forward to it, but until then, remember to spread the word about our Kickstarter project. The more people who know about it, the greater chance we have of being funded!

The Kickstarter video was solely designed to gain interest in the project and was made on a $0 budget. We will be producing a high-quality product with professionals who have decades of experience. Remember, the more money we raise the higher the production quality will be. So please help spread the word about our Kickstarter project so we can make the best possible film we can.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

EMPIRE OF LIES DESKTOP WALLPAPER! The "Truth is Treason in the Empire of Lies" graphic makes a powerful statement and looks great on our desktops. We think it’ll look great on yours too. We hope it reminds you every day of our thanks for backing the Ron Paul Revolution! Not only will we send you a high resolution JPEG for your desktop, we’ll also email you updates as the documentary moves forward.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $30 or more
About $30

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of the Ron Paul Documentary upon release, PLUS the desktop wallpaper. We’ll let you know how much we appreciate your support and keep you up to date by emails with all the latest news about the project and plans.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $55 or more
About $55

EMPIRE OF LIES T-SHIRT! It’s sure to be a collector’s item. As a supporter of the Ron Paul Revolution, we want you to have not only the T-Shirt, but a digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary upon release and the desktop wallpaper. And we’ll make sure you get our emailed news and updates.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $80 or more
About $80

You’ll be among the Friends of Liberty across the land who enjoy their morning coffee from a Ron Paul Documentary EMPIRE OF LIES SOUVENIR MUG! And you can do it while wearing your Empire of Lies T-Shirt, since we’ll send you both! PLUS the desktop wallpaper, email updates and digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary upon release.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

Did we mention the cool 16"x24" EMPIRE OF LIES POSTER? As a reward for supporting us at this level, this option also includes the souvenir mug! You’ll also get the email updates, desktop wallpaper, and digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary upon release.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

A BLU-RAY COPY of the Documentary signed by the producers upon release. You’ll watch it again and again while wearing your Ron Paul Documentary Empire of Lies T-Shirt! Both are yours as thanks for your support if you choose this reward option. Plus a digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary upon release, as well as the email updates and desktop wallpaper.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Get All Three! Great Value! The Poster, the T-Shirt, and the Mug! But wait! There’s more! For supporting the Ron Paul Revolution at this level, we’ll give you a digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary, PLUS The signed Ron Paul Documentary on Blu-ray upon release. We'll also send you the desktop wallpaper and email updates.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Supporters at this level will get a personally signed copy of Lew Rockwell’s latest book, "Against the State". It offers a clear-eyed description of the nature of government itself and shows that only peaceful cooperation based on the free market can rescue us from our present plight. You may know of Lew from his immensely popular website LewRockwell.com. Lew is also the Founder and Chairman of the prestigious Mises Institute. But you may not know that Lew Rockwell was formerly Congressman Ron Paul’s Chief of Staff in Washington. You'll also receive a digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary, the desktop wallpaper and email updates.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Be armed for debate by Tom Woods! A historian, host of the popular daily podcast "The Tom Woods Show", and a bestselling author as well, Tom Woods really knows how to set fire to the index cards of allowable opinion! In fact, that is the subtitle of his latest book, "Real Dissent". Tom makes short work of the left-right paradigm and the media’s slavish statism. We’re proud to have Tom’s support for this important Documentary, and you’ll be inspired by your copy of "Real Dissent", especially since it is autographed by the author! You'll also receive a digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary, the desktop wallpaper and email updates.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

How would you like to tell the Fed what you really think? Robert Wenzel did! Invited to speak at a luncheon at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Wenzel, editor of the popular EconomicPolicyJournal.com told the assembled Fedsters they should shut down the whole shooting match! Wenzel’s short book "The Fed Flunks" includes his speech, tells how he was invited to speak at the Fed, how the event was almost sabotaged, who was at the speech and the reaction of the Fed economists there. Choose this reward and get an autographed copy! You'll also receive a digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary, the desktop wallpaper and email updates.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

President Reagan’s Budget Director, David Stockman, says this is a “wonderful project!” He’s a big believer in Ron Paul and because you are too, he wants you to have a personally autographed copy of his international bestseller "The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America". A searing, myth-busting expose of the Fed, bailouts, central planning, and crony capitalism! You'll also receive a digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary, the desktop wallpaper and email updates.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Our newest thank you gift is something Ron Paul supporters have wanted for a long time. Ron Paul often talks about Mises, his favorite economist. Now Robert Murphy, the author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism," has written a new book that makes the insights of Mises’s greatest work, Human Action, accessible to the modern reader and non-economists alike. "Choice: Cooperation, Enterprise, and Human Action" will be released on June 1 and Murphy has reserved autographed copies for the supporters of The Empire of Lies. You'll also receive a digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary, the desktop wallpaper and email updates.

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Pledge $220 or more
About $220

RON PAUL’S BOOK "LIBERTY DEFINED: 50 ESSENTIAL ISSUES THAT AFFECT OUR FREEDOM". It’s a must for every well-informed Champion of Liberty. You’ll also get an autographed hardcover copy of Documentary producer and Ron Paul’s radio and podcast partner Charles Goyette’s "Red and Blue and Broke All Over: Restoring America’s Free Economy"; PLUS The signed Ron Paul Documentary Blu-ray; PLUS the Ron Paul Empire of Lies poster; Plus the Empire of Lies T-Shirt; PLUS the Empire of Lies Souvenir Mug; You’ll also get the desktop wallpaper and the digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary when it is released and our email updates along the way.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $330 or more
About $330

For the serious student of Liberty! You’ll get one of Ron Paul’s most important books, "End the Fed". You’ll learn how the Federal Reserve is destroying the American Dream as it serves the banking cartel that created it. An autographed copy of Charles Goyette’s New York Times bestseller "The Dollar Meltdown" serves as a companion piece with its practical description of the way monetary crises unfold. But that’s not all! You’ll also receive a copy of Ron Paul’s "Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom", and to go with it an autographed hardcover copy of Charles Goyette’s "The Red and Blue and Broke All Over: Restoring America’s Free Economy". It’s not enough to simply say that freedom works, that freedom creates prosperity. Only when people understand why freedom works will they see through the self-serving schemes of politicians and the destructive promises of both parties. We think this package of four books make anyone a formidable Champion of Liberty! Of course well also send you the Empire of Lies Souvenir Mug, T-Shirt and Poster. You’ll also get the desktop wallpaper, digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary when it is released and our email updates along the way.

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Pledge $400 or more
About $400

RECEIVE A CUSTOM MP3 AUDIO MESSAGE RECORDED BY CHARLES GOYETTE. Award-winning radio personality Charles Goyette, will record a professional 10-second audio message with your name. Use your custom recording as your voicemail greeting. Have your own personal message of encouragement to program in with the music of your workout routine. Use it in conjunctions with your alarm clock, website, blog or any of hundreds of other digital uses! You write the message and (within the boundaries of good taste) we’ll have Charles record it!

PLUS we'll send you the Empire of Lies Souvenir Mug, T-Shirt and Poster. You’ll also get the desktop wallpaper and digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary when it is released and our email updates along the way!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

Own a piece of history. We don’t know exactly where this Ron Paul REVOLUTION banner was hung during the 2012 Presidential campaign. It might have been on a freeway overpass or on a fence across the street from one of the Presidential debates. But this original, stenciled 7'x3' campaign sign will make a powerful statement hanging from your home during the next election. This collector’s item is a personal gift to you from leading Ron Paul activist Ernest Hancock, the creator of the Ron Paul REVOLUTION logo! We’ll even get him to sign it for you! You'll also receive the desktop wallpaper and email updates and we’ll make sure that upon release you get a digital download of the Documentary, too!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $750 or more
About $750

Your name in the film credits! It’s not immortality, but it’s not bad! We’ll start by thanking you with some of the cool swag listed above: the desktop wallpaper and emailed news updates, the Empire of Lies T-Shirt, Souvenir Mug and Poster – very cool! We’ll also thank you with the Ron Paul Documentary digital download and a Blu-ray copy, too. And you’ll also amaze and delight your friends and family when they see your name in the rolling credits of the Blu-ray! Our special thanks to you for being a Champion of Liberty!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

A Special Premier Invitation for Two! We'll give you a pair of tickets to one of the Documentary Special Premiere Events (locations to be announced). Meet the producers and director in person, watch the film with an exclusive audience, and spend the evening with the people who made the film possible! (Transportation and accommodations not provided.) And your name will be in the Blu-ray credits! Would you like the Empire of Lies T-Shirt, Souvenir Mug and the Poster, too? And the digital download of the Documentary and desktop wallpaper? And a Blu-ray copy to share with your friends? They’re all yours with our compliments!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

Attend an Actual Ron Paul Documentary Production Session. When your friends see your name in the Blu-ray credits, you can tell them you were in the studio when it was made! Spend the morning at a production session at our studio in Phoenix and then be the producers’ guest for lunch afterwards. And make plans for yourself and a guest to attend one of the Special Premier Events (locations to be announced). Transportation and accommodations not provided. We’ll also send you the Empire of Lies Souvenir Mug and T-Shirt. And the Poster, too. You’ll also get a digital download of the Ron Paul Documentary when it is released, the desktop wallpaper and our email updates along the way.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

Your Name Here! And not just your name! Because you’ll be credited as an Associate Producer! Your support at this level is important to us. So important that we think you deserve to be credited as an Associate Producer. Your family and friends always remember you as a great champion of Liberty and supporter of Ron Paul! In fact, you’ll watch your very own name as its scrolls by on the silver screen for one of the very first times because you and a guest will be our guests at one of the Special Premier Events (locations to be announced). And of course you’ll get the other gifts above, the Empire of Lies Poster, T-Shirt, and Souvenir Mug. That’s a lot of stuff. But we’ll also want to show our appreciation for your support with both of the Ron Paul books and both of the autographed Charles Goyette books described above. You'll get the Ron Paul Documentary digital download and Blu-ray copy, too! We'll also send you the desktop wallpaper and send you email updates.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

Enjoy a Private Dinner with Ron Paul! After all. you’re an Associate Producer! You’ll be listed in the end credits of the Blu-ray as an Associate Producer of the Documentary when it is completed. But in the meantime you’ll be invited to share a private dinner with America’s leading Champion of Liberty! You and a guest will be invited to join us in Houston to meet Ron Paul and enjoy a special dinner and talk. This private dinner event, exclusively for you and other donors at this level, is strictly limited to 20 contributors. (Transportation and accommodations not provided.) We can’t top that, but you’ll also be invited to one of the Special Premiere Events (locations to be announced) and get the other Empire of Lies gifts above: the Poster, T-Shirt, Souvenir Mug, Blur-ray copy, digital download, desktop wallpaper and emailed news updates. Private dinner expected to be on a Saturday in late October or in November, 2015. Exact date to be announced later.